MyPillow CEO and election fraud conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell is footing the bill for a new national grassroots "election integrity" group, according to the group's leader.
The group Cause of America bills itself as "an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization focused on election integrity," although the group's website features discredited claims about the 2020 election and links to articles only from right-wing news outlets like One America News Network and personalities like Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Shawn Smith, a retired Air Force colonel and president of the group, explained earlier this week that Lindell was funding the grassroots organization, during an appearance on the War Room: Pandemic podcast, hosted by former President Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
"Cause of America is a new nonprofit that's started out," Smith said during the podcast. "Mike Lindell is kind of an angel investor. And the purpose of Cause of America is to enable the grassroots organizations across the country who are doing election integrity."
"Cause of America is standing up as an organization to enable grassroots and help coordinate the election integrity activity of citizens across the country," he added. "We're gonna handle all of them, everything we've got and then bring in best practices."
Last week, Smith warned that there would be violence if the "tyrannical regime" of President Joe Biden "stays in power" during a video call, according to Colorado Newsline. Smith has also been appearing this week during Lindell's 96-hour "Thanks-A-Thon" livestream event.
Lindell praised Smith as a "hero" during the livestream on Friday and explained that Cause of America would be an "information hub" for "great grassroots groups" that had been "suppressed" by social media companies and news organizations.
"By the way, Shawn's going to be president of everything we're going to tell you about, the Cause of America," Lindell said. "I get to be, like chairman of the board. I've gotten to know Shawn and he's one of the most amazing guys I've ever met and he's going to be on a lot here over the next couple of days."
The "Thanks-A-Thon" was originally billed as a sort of post-filing after-show for an election fraud lawsuit that Lindell said he would file in the Supreme Court by Thanksgiving. Lindell said that the lawsuit would lead to the inexplicable reinstatement of Trump, a legal impossibility that he has falsely predicted would happen on several previous occasions.
Although the lawsuit has been discussed and posted to Lindell's Frank Speech website, the livestream event has been largely used to promote MyPillow products and to rehash baseless claims of massive fraud that Lindell had already presented.
Prior to missing his self-imposed deadline to file the lawsuit, Lindell appeared on Bannon's podcast to complain about "very suspicious" difficulties in getting pro-Trump state attorneys general to back the complaint.
Lindell urged viewers to send a form letter to their state attorney general alongside a copy of the non-filed lawsuit during his livestream, which at one point he claimed was being watched by "millions" despite the YouTube feed of the event having only dozens of viewers.
Newsweek reached out to MyPillow for comment.
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Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more
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